CATIIAIITID.K-TIIE AMKRICAN VI'LTIUKS. ;>45 



222. /Vrnio/iti-ni.i mim, Stkimi. Zoi.l. XIII, jit. ii. i'. 7. l>2i;. \'i,lliii- inln. Mm. in. 

 St. Cliil. ).. 20;'., 1782. -(l.\li;i.. Syst. Nat. ]>. 217. H.M L. Ti. Orii. II, -Jo. l-\iii. 

 Clcn. Ili.st. I, 15. Ca/liinics io/ii, I5i:i|iii. I'lor. Ziiul. Sdc. pi. ii, |i. ins ; .\iiii. Xut. 

 Ili.st. XIII, 4'.l8. f.ilhiirti-s riiji,-n/li.i, Snx, Av. Wnx. I, 2, 1.'<2-1 (iiiioti' Ciitcsliy, pi. 

 vi). Caf/inrlrs /(i//i/ii ii(/iriis, Sir.Mirr., Ann. & .Maj;. N. II. 



Si-. ClIAH. lifiiutli, iilmiit 27.(10 - ;!(t.(10 ; cxti'iit 1)1' wiuL,'.-;, alKiiit H Ircl ; wri-lil, I - ." 

 lioiiiiil.-:. Wiiifr, 20.(10 -'J.i.lM I; tail, lI.(Mt- 1 2.00. Culmcii, about l.iMi; larsiis, 2.2.")-2.:;o ; 

 luiiliUc tot", 2.')0 ; outor, l..")-"): iniuT, 1.2"); po.';t('rior, .80. Iii.< iiiiilior; laisi and tnis 

 tlii'ty wliitisli, liiif,'c(l with yellow oi' flc^h-coloi'. 



AdiilK Bill clialk-wliiti' ; iiakcil sl<iu of tlio hcail .and nvA<. livid criin.^oii, approachiu;,' 

 diliiti' (•ariuiiic on the cere, and .-;oMn'tiines with wliilisli papilla- on the crown and iM/lbro 

 the eye. (Icneral plnnia^'(- Iilai-k. tlii-^ deepest and nnironn on the lower parts; upper 

 part.s with a violet lustre, eliaiif;ilij; to frreeiu.sh posteriorly, all the leathers of tln^ dorsal 

 region and the wing-coverts passing into lirown on ils hordi-rs. Primaries and tail-leath- 

 ers dull Mack, their sliaHs clear ])alo hrown. ^ (Xo. 12.01."). Maryland; M. F. Foi-ci-). 

 Wing, 22.00; tail, 12.00; cnhneii, .!)."> ; tar.sn.s. 2.;10 ; middle toe, 2..'>0 ; on t or, 1. ."..". ; iinicr. 

 1.2"); posterior, .:50. 9 (Xo. 49,(i81, C.iinp Orant, Arizona ; Dr. K. Palmer). Wing, 2(i.iMI ; 

 tail, ll.,-)0. 



young. Bill, .oiid naked skin of the head and neck, livid Mackish, the o(-cipnt and nape 

 with more or less of whitish down. Plnlnage more nnilormly Mackish, the hrowth.-h 

 borders above le.ss distinct; the rcllections of the i)lumage rather grec-n than violaceons. 



ll.Wi. Whole of Temperate America; resident to hit. 38° north. 



Localities: Gnaleniala (Set.. Ibi.s, 1,21.')); Cuba? (Caii. Jonrn. II, l.xxi.\ : tiiNni.Acii, 

 resident) ; Bahamas (I>i!yaxt, Pr. Bost. Soc. 1850) ; .Tanniica ((lo.s.si:) ; Ecnador (.•<cl. I'r. 

 Z. S. 1800, 287); Ilondnr.is (.Set,. Ibis, IF, 222); Trinidad (Tavi.oi!, Ibis, isdl, 78); 8. 

 Texas (DuK.«si:ii, Ibis, 18(),j, 322, breeding); Arizona (CoiKS, Prod. ISGC, 42); Para 

 (Sci.. it Sai,v. 18G7, 589). 



Aftor having compared numerous speciineii.s of tliis ,s]iecies iVom all parts 

 of its raiio-e, incliKliiig Cliile, Tatagonia, Terra del Fuego, the We.st India 

 I.slaads, and all jiortions oi' Middle America and the United States, 1 am 

 tinaljle to ajiprecitite diHerences according to locality, and cannot recognize 

 any geograjihical races. As a rule, the s])ecimeiis from intertropical regions, 

 tis niiglit l)e expected, are the smallest anil most brightly colored. The 

 smallest in the scries are those from Lower faiifornia. 



H.vw'i's. Probably none of the birds of America have so extendctl a dis- 

 tribution as this Vulture, occurring, as it does, in greater or less idniiiditnce 

 fromliigh nortliern latitudes at the Saskatchewan, throughout North America 

 from tlie Atlantic to the Pacific, and in all portions of .South America, oven 

 to the Straits of ^Magellan. On the Atlantic coast it is not co.nmon north 

 of Central New Jtf.sey, though occtisionally individuals have been seen as 

 far north as New liruiiswick and Nova Scotia. Several specimens have been 

 taken in various ])arts of New Knglaiul. from Calais, ]\re., to Connecticut. 

 ^Ir. Lawrence cites it as of rare and irregular occurrence near New ^'oik. Tn 

 one instance he noticed a coni]iany of nine individiinls .at I'ockawiiy. Long 

 Island. West of the Alleghanies it has a much le.ss restricted distribution, 

 trom Central America almost to the Arctic regions. It is found more or less 

 frequently in all tin; iMiddle, the Southern, "Western, and Northwestern 

 States, without an excoi)tiou. It is met with in large numbers throughout tlie 



vol.. 111. 44 



